National Republican., 1887-03-25
VISIT TO OLD ENGLAND.
REV. DIR. LINDsAY's IMPRESSIONS OF A
RECENT HOLIDAY TRIP.
The Climate and Its Peouliarities--
EBeauty OF the Country--Faciiities for
Traveiine-A Church in Every Land
scapo-Politics and the People.


Curtis Hall, West Washington, was COM
fortaply filed last night with respectable
audience to hear Rev. DR.. Lindsay, OF st.
Johns Church, deliver his lecture, entitled
"Fresh Impressions Of Old England" The
proceeds will be applied to the benefit Of
st. Alban's parish.
"a wise traveller will naturally choose to
visit the best Of actual nations; and the
American has more reasons than another to
draw him to Britain" So wrote Emerson
the New England philosopher. Alfiere, the
great italian dramist, thought Italy and
England the only countries worth living in.
i so far agreed with the American and the
Italan, that when first visited Europe l
divided my time between Italy and Eng
land, and In my second visit, last summer,
when was 10 years older and wiser, con-
fined myself entirely to England, except
that spent three days In Edinburgh and
about the same time In Wales. l shall
give you tonight merely the impressions
received or revived in that recent holiday
trip, not elaborate descriptions Of what /
saw or heard.
English climate and its pecullarities Its
beauties and It's disagreeable features-was
chatted about 10 pleasant, easy manner.
The country districts, with their many and
beautiful diversities Of surface, their hills,
valleys, and plains, beautiful streams and
magnificent forests were described with a
bright color tone that placed the picturesque
beauties OF the agricultural counties OF
England clearly In sight OF the audience.
~ have travelled" said the doctor, "in
almost every part of England-north,
south, east, and west-and 1t has always
.s.( -.
countries that have ever seen."
The facilities for travelling in England
were largely dealt with. The superiority
OF English roadbed and the greater care
evinced for human life, as contrasted with
railroading In this country. was clearly
shown, but the manifest inferority OF
English cars and the almost insufferable
nuisance Of the English baggage system, or
rather lack OF system, was delineated skill
fully, and showed the many advantages of
our own arrangements. Hotel life and liy-
ing generally were treated sketchily, and,
while many Of the features were strange to
nm American, still in the majority OF in
stances they were on the side Of comfort,
and were therefore acceptable.
"The church," continued the lecturer,
"forces itself on your attention every
where in England; not obtrusively or of its
own volition, but modestly and by virtue
of its real importance" The numerous
churches Of Importance, especially In Lon
don, were described. "In the country" he
said, "there is church In every landscape;
now a little village chapel like that Of
Stoke Pogis, on which Gray wrote his
elegy, then a splendid cathedral with its
towers or spires springiDg up far above the
houses and trees-graceful, grand, plctur-
esque. You are walked in the morning by
the cathedral chimes, and you go to the
morning service with the multitude, to see
the architecture and the tombs and hear
the music, and you are held by strange
spell as you move along nave and aisle and
transept, through shady cloisters and the
dim crypt; and then the white.robed dean
and canons and choisters marchingin solemn
procession and chanting the noble service
of the church, amid pillars and pews and
arches that have echoed prayer and sacred
song for centuries, and that seem made to
inspire the soul with feelings of devotion
all excite reverance aud fling fascination
over the cultured mind, whether 1t has been
trained in the Anglican communion, the
Roman church, or In some modern depomi-
tion'of Christians" Religious antiquities
were then exhaustiveIy discussed In most
Interesting manner.
English politics and the political situation
/, of last year came in for thorough review.
Gladstone, Salisbury, and Churchill were
depicted with their greatness and idiosyn-
cracies, and the questions Of home rule and
Gladstone's defeat received every consider
alton.
The necessity for unity of government
between England and Ireland was shown
and paraleled In history by more than one
instance. The desire Of the English to con-
troll Ireland was compared to the situation
in this country when sin 1861 the cry Save
the Union hushed all discord In the
northern states OF this country, gathered
y
south, again and again, till what could not
be achieved by skill and valor was slowly
accomplished by attrltion; the bulwark OF
the southern confederacy was swept away;
that army Of tattered uniforms and bright
muskets; that body Of Incompatible in.
fantry, the Army Of Northern Virginia,
which for four Years carried the revolt IL
its bayonets, vital In all its parts, butwhicf
died only with its annihilation. Thi,
same feeling throbbing in English breasts
spoke in thunder tones at the polls In the
last election,
The English people were then the sub.
jects Of much thoughtful remark; theiI
physique, the beauty Of their women
(which, contrary to common belief In this
country, the lecturer declared to be of 9
high order), was noted. "Perhaps," con
tined DIR. Lindsay, "the English young
lady Is not so graceful and fascinating as hel
American cousin, and has not her wonder
full knack at dressing or flirting; but TO
that perfection Of form that needs no hell
from art or artihce, and that beauty o
face that health and color and a refined
frank expression give, the young Englisl
lady is the equal of any daughter OF ou
Mother Eve"
The many differences in the intellectua
traits OF Americans and English were an
alyzed with degree of skill that proved al
Intelligent study OF the subject, and, Will
the slOwness Of English speech was com
mented on as disadvantage, the modera
tion of their language was applauded. "Il
word" said he, "English and American
are alike and unlike. Neither nation is al
good or oil bad. Each people has the vir
tues and the faults Of its circumstances
the English of an old people, the American
of new people. The less each vaunts 1t
superiority and the more each learns iron
the other the better will both become"
The learned doctor then warned agains
anglophobia and It's attendant follies. ii
advocated mutual love and respect, an,
concluded with the following: "When nea
the end Of each voyage from New York I,
Liverpool, in an English ship, an entertain
ment Is given In the saloon by the passen
gers, mostly English and Americans. TIL
ball is festooned with the flags OF the tw
countries, and their citizens are joined tC
gether In the pleasing performances Of th
evening. At the close the performers AM
the audience, English and Americans, aris
and sing together the national songs {
their countries, God Save the Queen an
God Bless Our Native Land Hereafte
my first prayer shall be God bless our ma
tive land' and next to II GOD bless oil